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J. OSWALD SANDERS (1902-1992) was a Christian leader for nearly seventy years and authored more than forty books on the Christian life including The Incomparable Christ, Spiritual Discipleship, Spiritual Leadership, and Spiritual Maturity. He left a promising law practice to serve as an instructor and administrator at the Bible College of New Zealand. Dr. Sanders later became general director of the China Inland Mission (now the Overseas Missionary Fellowship), and was instrumental in beginning many new missions projects throughout East Asia.
Read MoreJOSHUA SHERIF was born in Egypt to a Muslim family and immigrated to the United States, where he later came to faith in Jesus. For the past decade, he has planted and pastored in Albany Park, Chicago, IL, one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the country. His congregation represents more than thirty nationalities, speaking twenty languages. Josh has enjoyed his years equipping and coaching other missionaries and pastors around the world. His story was featured in Love Costs Everything, a documentary produced by CIY and Voice of the Martyrs, concerning Christian persecution.
Read MoreSTEVE RICHARDSON has served as president of Pioneers-USA since 1999. Pioneers mobilizes and supports 3,200 missionaries and marketplace professionals who impact 500 unreached people groups in 95 countries. Steve was raised in Indonesia, where his parents planted churches in a jungle tribe. He witnessed the impact of the gospel on their war-like society, a story documented in his father's missionary classic, Peace Child. Steve and his wife, Arlene, also spent eleven years planting churches among an unreached people group in Southeast Asia. The Richardsons now live in Orlando, FL and have been blessed with four daughters and ten grandchildren.
Read MoreNANCY DEMOSS WOLGEMUTH is the founder and lead Bible teacher for Revive Our Hearts, a ministry dedicated to calling women to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ. Nancy's love for Christ and passion for His Word are evident through her writing, digital, and conference outreaches and her two daily audio teachings—Revive Our Hearts and Seeking Him. Her books have sold millions of copies and are reaching the hearts of women around the world. Nancy and her husband, Robert, live in Michigan.
Read MoreJOHN TRENT, Ph.D., is the President of StrongFamilies.com, a ministry committed to building strong relationships in these stressful times. Dr. Trent's main focus includes writing and speaking at retreats, conferences, business settings, churches, and seminars across the country. In addition to building family teams, Dr. Trent regularly speaks to corporate America on team building, recruiting and retaining outstanding employees. He has authored and co-authored more than a dozen books for both adults and children, including Love For All Seasons, The Language of Love, and The Blessing. In addition to writing books, Dr. Trent has written numerous articles for both professional and popular publications. He and his wife, Cynthia, live in Scottsdale, Arizona and have two adult daughters.
Read MoreJAMES H. THOMAS (1890–1973) was a Bible teacher, pastor, and John Bunyan scholar. Born in Maury City, Tennessee, Thomas graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University and earned a ThD from Central Baptist Seminary, Kansas City. After discovering the Phillips New Testament in Modern English, Thomas wanted to take a similar approach with an updated version of John Bunyan’s most famous book. The resulting work, Pilgrim’s Progress in Today’s English, is the bestselling modern version of Bunyan’s classic.
Read MorePHIL SHAPPARD served at the Moody Bible Institute as Moody Radio's National Operations Manager before retiring at the beginning of 2020. Starting as a part-time announcer at Moody's station WDLM in 1981 he came to Chicago in 1983 and joined the Moody Radio Network staff full-time in 1984. He studied at Toccoa Falls College and later graduated with a B.S. in Business Management from Elmhurst University in Elmhurst, IL. Phil and his wife, Nora, have three grown children and nine grandchildren, and make their home in the western suburbs of Chicago.
Read MoreKEVIN D. ZUBER is Chief Academic Officer and Professor of Theology at The Master's Seminary in Los Angeles, California. Before that he was a professor at Moody Bible Institute for seventeen years and he also served as a teaching pastor at Grace Bible Church Northwest in Schaumburg, IL. Over the years, Kevin has ministered around the world, teaching graduate and undergraduate classes in Asia, Africa, and Europe. He is a graduate of Grace College and Grace Theological Seminary, and he holds a Ph.D. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity school. Kevin is married to Diane, and they have two sons, David and Christopher.
Read MoreDR. JASON ALLEN is the fifth and youngest president of Midwestern Baptist Seminary. He has served as pastor and interim pastor of Southern Baptist churches in Alabama and Kentucky over the past fifteen years. He currently serves the church more broadly through writing and preaching ministries, including his own website www.jasonkallen.com, where he writes on various topics including higher education, theology, preaching, and cultural and local church issues. He and his wife, Karen, have five children: Anne-Marie, Caroline, William, Alden, and Elizabeth.
Read MoreMATT APPLING teaches Pre-Kindergarten through sixth grade art, as well as high school art history. He has taught and ministered in a variety of school and church settings. He has also been a popular blogger for four years, as the author of www.thechurchofnopeople.com, and as a featured contributor to many other online publications. Matt lives with his wife, Cheri in Kansas City, Missouri.
Read MoreMATTHEW LEE ANDERSON is an Assistant Professor in Baylor University’s Honors College and the Associate Director of Baylor in Washington. He holds a DPhil in Christian Ethics from Oxford University and is a Perpetual Member of Biola University’s Torrey Honors Institute. He founded Mere Orthodoxy and co-hosts Mere Fidelity, a podcast on faith, theology, and ethics. He lives in Waco, Texas, where he enjoys piano and beating fourth graders at basketball in his spare time. Learn more at MatthewLeeAnderson.com.
Read MoreMIKE AND KRISTIN BERRY have been married for more than twenty years and are the parents of eight adopted children. In 2015 they launched the blog website Confessions of an Adoptive Parent. Their mission is simple - to offer hope to adoptive, foster, and special needs parents who feel weary, overwhelmed and frustrated, and to let them know they're not alone. They recently co-wrote the book, The Adoptive Parent Toolbox and travel extensively speaking at churches, camps, and conferences.
Read MoreMIKE AND KRISTIN BERRY have been married for more than twenty years and are the parents of eight adopted children. In 2015 they launched the blog website Confessions of an Adoptive Parent. Their mission is simple - to offer hope to adoptive, foster, and special needs parents who feel weary, overwhelmed and frustrated, and to let them know they're not alone. They recently co-wrote the book, The Adoptive Parent Toolbox and travel extensively speaking at churches, camps, and conferences.
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